Midway

Midway, island group (2 sq mi/5.2 sq km), central Pacific, c.1,150 mi (1,850 km) NW of Honolulu, comprising Sand and Eastern islands with the surrounding atoll. Discovered by Americans in 1859, Midway was annexed in 1867. A cable station was opened in 1903. In 1935, Midway became a commercial air station of Pan American Airways, and in 1941 a U.S. naval base was opened. The last navy facilities on the island closed in 1993. In 1996 the islands were transferred from the U.S. Navy to U.S. Dept. of the Interior, which manages them as a national wildlife refuge. The

battle of Midway (June 3–6, 1942), one of the decisive Allied victories of World War II, occurred nearby. The battle, fought mostly with aircraft, resulted in the destruction of four Japanese aircraft carriers, crippling the Japanese navy.

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Midway

Unincorporated U.S. territory, central Pacific Ocean. Midway consists of two coral islands, Eastern (Green) and Sand islands, with a total land area of 2.4 sq mi (6.2 sq km); there is no permanent population. Claimed for the U.S. in 1859 by Capt. N.C. Brooks, the islands were formally annexed in 1867. Their location, more than 1,300 mi (2,100 km) northwest of Honolulu, gave them strategic importance for U.S. forces during World War II, and in 1941 the U.S. Navy established an air and submarine base there. The Battle of Midway (1942) took place in nearby waters. Midway also served as a commercial air base. Its airfield was closed in 1993, and the atoll subsequently became a national wildlife refuge.

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Midway

site of decisive battle between Japanese and Americans in WWII (1942). [Am. Hist.: EB, VI: 877–878]

See : Battle

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Midway

decisive American victory over Japanese in WWII (1942). [Am. Hist.: Fuller, III, 470–477]

See : Turning Point